Complications of in-patient cerebral angiography: Comparison between patients with and without sub arachnoid haemorrhage

Objective: To compare complications of cerebral angiography among patients with and without subarachnoid haemorrhage.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised records of patients undergoing inpatient therapeutic and diagnostic cerebral angiographies from 2001 to 2010. The patients were divided into subarachnoid and non-subarachnoid haemorrhage groups. During the study period no modifications were made to the operational protocol and all patients were subjected to the same procedure and prophylactic care.Results: Of the 93 patients, 42(45.2%) were women and 51(54.8%) were men. The overall mean age was 45.27±16.15 years (range: 4-80 years). The comparison between the two groups regarding new onset of neurological deficit was statistically significant (p=0.001). However, the same comparison regarding drop in Glasgow Coma Scale was statistically not significant (p=0.073).Conclusions: The rate of neurological complications was higher in patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage

Response of wheat varieties to salinity: growth, yield and ion analysis

In plants, development, growth and yield most severely affected through saline soil/water in growth medium, ultimately cause severe threat to global food production for human being. Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is the most edible crop in Pakistan. Production of this crop can be improved through using marginal areas with the help of growing salt-tolerant varieties. The present investigation is carried out to screen out six local wheat varieties (F.Sarhad, Insaf, Lalma, Tatora, Bathoor and Barsat) with reference to their vegetative and reproductive growth, different physiological parameters [relative water content (RWC), electrolyte-leakage (EL) and leaf water loss (LWL)] and ionic status of plants. Present experiment designed in completely randomized manner (CRD) and 54 pots were arranged in the Botanical Garden, Department of Botany. These pots arranged in 6 lines with 9 pots/line and each line was irrigated with non-saline (control), 50 mM and 150 mM NaCl solution. The data from present research revealed that application of salt cause significant reduction in plant-height, root-length, fresh-biomass, dry-biomass, seed number/plant, seed weight/plant, spike-weight, relative water content, leaf water loss, and different ions of plants. Similarly at same applied doses of salt weight of 100 seeds, spike-length, electrolyte-leakage, Na+ and Cl- ions become increased. It has been concluded from the results of present study that varieties F. Sarhad, Insaf and Lalma exhibited more salt tolerance as compare to other varieties. So, these recommended for growing on moderately salt affected soil/water to achieve more yield of wheat from such affected lands of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Improved Fitness Dependent Optimizer for Solving Economic Load Dispatch Problem

Economic Load Dispatch depicts a fundamental role in the operation of power systems, as it decreases the environmental load, minimizes the operating cost, and preserves energy resources. The optimal solution to Economic Load Dispatch problems and various constraints can be obtained by evolving several evolutionary and swarm-based algorithms. The major drawback to swarm-based algorithms is premature convergence towards an optimal solution. Fitness Dependent Optimizer is a novel optimization algorithm stimulated by the decision-making and reproductive process of bee swarming. Fitness Dependent Optimizer (FDO) examines the search spaces based on the searching approach of Particle Swarm Optimization. To calculate the pace, the fitness function is utilized to generate weights that direct the search agents in the phases of exploitation and exploration. In this research, the authors have carried out Fitness Dependent Optimizer to solve the Economic Load Dispatch problem by reducing fuel cost, emission allocation, and transmission loss. Moreover, the authors have enhanced a novel variant of Fitness Dependent Optimizer, which incorporates novel population initialization techniques and dynamically employed sine maps to select the weight factor for Fitness Dependent Optimizer. The enhanced population initialization approach incorporates a quasi-random Sabol sequence to generate the initial solution in the multi-dimensional search space. A standard 24-unit system is employed for experimental evaluation with different power demands. Empirical results obtained using the enhanced variant of the Fitness Dependent Optimizer demonstrate superior performance in terms of low transmission loss, low fuel cost, and low emission allocation compared to the conventional Fitness Dependent Optimizer. The experimental study obtained 7.94E-12.Comment: 42 page

Pituicytoma: A rare tumor of the sella. A case report and review of literature for diagnosis and management

Background: Pituicytomas are rare tumors of the pituitary gland derived from the ependymal cells and line the pituitary stalk and posterior lobe. These tumors are located in the vulnerable regions of the brain: Either in the sellar or suprasellar area. The location marks the difference in the clinical features of the tumor. Here, we report a case of histopathologically diagnosed pituicytoma of the sellar region. Literature is also reviewed and discussed to gain a better understanding of this rare disease. Case description: A 24-year-old female presented to the outpatient department with complaints of headache, diplopia, dizziness, and decreased vision in the right eye for 6 months. Computed tomography scan brain without contrast showed a well-defined hyperdense lesion in the sella without associated bony erosion. Her magnetic resonance imaging showed well defined rounded lesion in the pituitary fossa which was isointense on T1-weighted image and hyperintense on T2-weighted images. A presumptive diagnosis of pituitary adenoma was made. She underwent endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal resection of pituitary mass. Intraoperatively, normal pituitary gland was visualized and there was a grayish-green-colored, jelly like tumor which was pulled gently. On 9th postoperative day, she presented with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea. She underwent endoscopic CSF leak repair. Her histopathology was concluded to be Pituicytoma. Conclusion: Pituicytoma is an uncommon diagnosis. The surgical aim is to completely excise the tumor which results in complete cure, but incomplete resection may be performed due to high vascularity of this tumor. In case of incomplete excision, recurrence is common and adjuvant radiotherapy may be administere

Catalytic Methanation of Carbon Dioxide by Active Oxygen Material CexZr1-xO2 Supported NiCo Bimetallic Nanocatalysts

A series of active oxygen material CexZr1-xO2-supported NiCo bimetallic nanosized catalysts were prepared by coprecipitation method, which is simple and fit for industrial use with lower cost than other methods. The effect of CeO2/ZrO2 mole ratio, Co metal addition, and PEG-6000 addition were investigated. The catalysts were characterized through X-ray diffraction, H2 thermal-programmed reduction, N2 adsorption, Raman spectroscopy, CO pulse chemisorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, oxygen storage capacity, and transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Modifications of the structural and redox properties of these materials were evaluated in relation to their catalytic performances. Particularly, the relationship between the active oxygen sites of the catalysts and their catalytic performances was investigated. The interaction between active metals (Ni and Co) and CexZr1-xO2 support was found to be very important for catalytic performance. The active oxygen site of CexZr1-xO2 can considerably improve catalytic performance. Appropriate Co metal addition also remarkably enhanced the catalytic stability and activity. Moreover, PEG-6000 addition can improve the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area and active metal dispersion of catalysts to improve their performances. The nanosized catalyst 15 wt % Ni-5 wt % Co/Ce0.25Zr0.75O2 prepared by adding 5 wt % PEG-6000 achieved almost 85% CO2 conversion and 98% selectivity to methane at 280 degrees C when the gas hourly space velocity was 10,000 h-1. (c) 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 2567-2576, 201

Congenital malignant melanoma of the scalp in a 25-day-old neonate

We present a case of congenital malignant melanoma of the scalp in a neonate. The child was born through caesarean section with a swelling, the size of a tennis ball, on the posterior scalp. At presentation to the clinic at 25 days after birth, the swelling had significantly increased in size and ulcerated. An excision was carried out but, because of extensive haemorrhage and haemodynamic instability, the procedure was limited to subtotal resection. Later on, completion of the excision and flap coverage of the wound were performed. After an initial stable course of a few months, the child came back with local recurrence. A re-excision was planned but the child developed pneumonia resulting in sepsis leading to the demise of the child. The report adds to the literature by describing a rare entity and challenges of managing large vascular scalp lesions with complete excision and defect coverage

Novel MoP/HY catalyst for the selective conversion of naphthalene to tetralin

MoP catalyst supported on HZSM-5, HBeta and HY were prepared by wet impregnation and temperature programmed reduction (H-2-TPR), applied for the conversion of naphthalene to tetralin, and characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, H-2-TPR, and NH3-TPD. Catalytic tests revealed the highest selectivity to tetralin was observed over MoP/HY with a naphthalene conversion of 85% and a tetralin selectivity of 99%. The effect of temperature and liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) was also studied. Well dispersed and small particles of MoP, reduced pore size and weak acidity of HY contribute to enhanced catalytic activity and selectivity in conversion of naphthalene to tetralin. (C) 2014 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.</p

1-(2-Chlorobenzoyl)-3-(pyrimidin-2-yl)thiourea

In the title compound, C12H9ClN4OS, the carbonyl group is at a cis position with respect to the thiourea unit. The dihedral angle between the phenyl and pyrimidine ring is 16.49&#8197;(6)&#176;. An intramolecular N&#8212;H...N hydrogen bond stabilizes the molecular conformation. In the crystal, N&#8212;H...N, C&#8212;H...O and C&#8212;H...S hydrogen bonds generate chains along the bc axis

Comparison of irrigation versus no irrigation during burr hole evacuation of chronic subdural hematoma

Objective: To compare the results of the use of irrigation versus no irrigation during burr hole evacuation of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH).Methodology: The study was a retrospective chart review of those patients who underwent burr hole evacuation of CSDH during a period of 5 years. Cases were divided into two groups based on the use of irrigation during surgery. A subdural drain was placed in all patients (i.e., in both the irrigation and no-irrigation groups) and removed 24 to 48 hours postoperatively.Results: The total sample size was 56, of which 34 patients were in the irrigation group and 22 in the no-irrigation group. Recurrence rate was 17.6% in the irrigation group and 9.1% in the no-irrigation group (p = 0.46). Systemic complications were predominantly cardiac related in the no-irrigation group compared with respiratory complications in the irrigation group. The irrigation group had a mortality rate of 5.9% compared with 4.5% in the no-irrigation group (p = 0.66).Conclusion: No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of recurrence or mortality